Released in March 2019,
Electric on the Eel is a six-disc box set comprised of three complete concerts by the Jerry Garcia Band that date between 1987 and 1991. All three of the shows took place at French's Camp in Piercy, California near the Eel River and were promoted by Bay Area legends Bill Graham and Wavy Gravy as benefits for the local Hog Farms commune. The late '80s lineup surrounding the late Grateful Dead guitarist included keyboardist Melvin Seals, bassist John Kahn, drummer David Kemper, and backup singers Gloria Jones and Jaclyn LaBranch, who are featured on each of the shows that took place on August 29, 1987, June 10, 1989, and August 10, 1991. Captured during the height of Garcia's late-period fame, these sets have a joyful and relaxed air to them, as did many of the Jerry Garcia Band shows of that era which often provided to him a sense of escapism from the touring and cultural behemoth that the Grateful Dead had become. ~ Timothy Monger